


Puzzle Pieces [no longer updating]

by 8RavenPhoenix8, huehuehyuka



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Best Friends, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Ice Cream, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Choi Yeonjun/Choi Beomgyu, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Sleepovers, Soft Friends, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Tears, YouTuber Choi Yeonjun, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:08:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24132613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8RavenPhoenix8/pseuds/8RavenPhoenix8, https://archiveofourown.org/users/huehuehyuka/pseuds/huehuehyuka
Summary: In a universe in which soulmates are given tattoo-like marks on their wrists that complete each other like to puzzle pieces.Five boys are given a puzzle that's a little less straight forward.------I would say paused, but honestly it's more like discontinued at this point
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu & Huening Kai, Choi Beomgyu & Kang Taehyun, Choi Soobin & Choi Beomgyu, Choi Soobin & Huening Kai, Choi Soobin & Kang Taehyun, Choi Yeonjun & Choi Beomgyu, Choi Yeonjun & Choi Soobin, Choi Yeonjun & Choi Soobin & Choi Beomgyu & Kang Taehyun & Huening Kai, Choi Yeonjun & Huening Kai, Choi Yeonjun & Kang Taehyun, Kang Taehyun & Huening Kai
Comments: 18
Kudos: 48





	1. Taehyun & Kai

February 4th. 11:54pm

Taehyun had his best friend on the other side of a call, ready to celebrate his birthday. He and Kai had gotten permission from their parents to stay up for such an important birthday. Taehyun was turning 16, which means he would be receiving his soulmate mark. 

11:55pm

“This is so exciting!” Kai squealed from the phone. “What if we’re soulmates, Tyun?”

“Then we wouldn’t know until your birthday,” he chuckled. The boy glanced at the clock again. 

11:56pm

He heard yawning from Kai’s side. “Tyunnie, if I sleep, promise you’ll send me a pic of your mark?”

“Of course I will.”

A few silent minutes passed. Taehyun’s cat, Hobak, had climbed up into the boy’s bed, deciding Taehyun’s thigh was his pillow. “Kai?” Taehyun said. There was no response. A little disappointed, he hung up and sent his friend a text.

‘Can’t believe you would do this. Sleep well’

Suddenly there was a burning sensation on his left wrist. Taehyun quickly put down his phone, using his right hand to clench his wrist. He tried his best not to wake his cat, but failed. Hobak jumped off of him, finding a better bed on his desk chair. 

February 5th. 12:00am

The pain stopped. He slowly removed his hand. The mark underneath was not at all what he expected. It was a star. The star was divided into five pieces and only one was filled in.

What? Five pieces? Normally soulmate marks had two pieces. Why was his mark so… different? 

Taehyun’s phone lit up again. A text from Kai.

‘i’m so so so sorry tyun!!! send pic?’

In a moment of slight panic and insecurity, Taehyun picked up a pen from his desk and drew a simple cat head on his right wrist. He filled in half of the drawing and snapped a picture, sending it to Kai. 

A part of him felt bad for lying to his best friend, but he couldn’t help it. Taehyun was confused and honestly a little scared. Why was it in five parts? 

Kai texted back. ‘that’s so cute >3< !! what if i’m the other half?? hahah!!’

Kai never asked Taehyun about his mark again. He was a little too excited for August to roll around so he could get his mark. He liked the idea of him and his best friend completing each other. That’s already how he felt, anyway. 

Unfortunately, once his 16th birthday did come, his mark did not complete the cat head on Taehyun’s wrist. 

The two were on a call once again, ready for Kai to get his mark. This time there was no way either of them would fall asleep. Taehyun could stay up 24 hours if he wanted to. Kai, however, had prepared himself with a nice long nap after school. 

August 13th. 11:58pm

Kai’s heart was racing. “You said it hurt when you got it?”

“Only for a minute,” Taehyun answered calmly. “It’s not too bad.”

11:59pm

“Not too bad? Rate it from 1-10, I need to know!!”

“At least a 4, I think. You’ll be okay.”

Kai grumbled into his phone. “What if I’m not okay?”

“Then you’re still a baby,” Taehyun teased. 

“I’m not a-- ow!!” Kai fumbled with his phone, quickly placing it in his right hand and holding it to his ear. “Taehyun you lied this is painful!!” He pressed his left wrist against his thigh, shutting his eyes.

August 14th. 12:00am

“Hey, hey, you’re okay. It will be over soon,” his best friend comforted. 

There was silence for a little. Kai opened his eyes once the pain went away. He slowly turned over his wrist and was shocked. That wasn’t Taehyun’s cat head mark at all...

On the boy’s wrist was a five-piece star with one section filled in. 

“So, what’s your mark?” Taehyun asked.

“I… Don’t want to talk about it yet, Tyun,” Kai answered softly. 

“That’s okay. Tell me when you’re ready.”

Kai appreciated his friend’s understanding, but he didn’t think he would ever show Taehyun his mark. Five people? Was that even possible? Maybe it was just a strange division of parts. Maybe his soulmate just had four of the five star pieces filled in. Yeah, that had to be it. 

“Hyuka?” Taehyin’s voice snapped Kai out of his thoughts. 

“Hm? Sorry.”

“I think you should sleep now.”

“Yeah,” Kai sighed. “Probably. Goodnight, Tyunnie.”

“Goodnight. Sleep well, birthday boy.”

Kai was not able to sleep well. He stared at the star on his wrist, many thoughts buzzing in his head. He had hoped to confirm for himself that he and Taehyun would be together forever, but now that was the least of his concerns.

Why five pieces?


	2. Yeonjun, Beomgyu, & Soobin

Yeonjun just finished shooting his newest dance cover to upload to his YouTube channel. He only had the dance studio to himself for fifteen more minutes. The man prayed this take was perfect. He watched it back, leaning over slightly to be the same height as his tripod. 

So far so good. He smirked at how charismatic he was. Choi Yeonjun, you handsome devil. His expression dropped dramatically when he noticed a certain little star peeking from under his long sleeve shirt. 

His soulmate mark.

It was not a serious issue, but Yeonjun preferred to keep it hidden. He had fans. Fans that would obsess over the tiniest peek of his mark. While he was fairly honest and open with what he shared online, Yeonjun liked keeping who his soulmate would be private. 

Well, there was also the little problem that his mark was a little strange, but he learned to stop worrying about it. Fate was fate. If his soulmate has such a large chunk of their mark, maybe they were someone who would have a big impact on the world. Maybe they would save his life. Whoever they were, they were lucky. 

Yeonjun set up his camera again and stretched. One more take and he should be good. This time when he danced, he wore a sweatband around his left wrist. 

That night, he edited and uploaded his dance video. He made sure to Tweet the video as well. Yeonjun wasn’t surprised to see a certain username liking, commenting, and retweeting it first. 

GyulovesCYJ

It made Yeonjun smile to think he had such a devoted fan. As confident as he was in his abilities, he wasn’t sure if he would have gotten any internet recognition. 

GyulovesCYJ commented: KING

GyulovesCYJ commented: I LOVE YOU

GyulovesCYJ quoted your tweet: PLEASE I LOVE HIM TALENTED KING SHFJFKD

Yeonjun couldn’t help himself but to like the user’s comments and retweet. He decided to reply to this GyulovesCYJ.

‘Love you more <3’

Beomgyu almost threw his phone across the room. He yelled, throwing himself down onto his bed, kicking his legs dramatically. For a second, he forgot he was on a top bunk and accidentally kicked the ceiling, shouting a profanity in pain. 

“Beomgyu will you calm down?” his roommate, Soobin, said as he walked in the room. “I don’t want us to get kicked out.”

“Yeonjun replied to my comment!!” The younger beamed, hopping off his bunk and shoving his phone into Soobin’s face.

“Who?” 

“My soulmate,” Beomgyu theatrically clenches his heart. “The Choi Yeonjun!” Beomgyu stared into his friend’s blank expression.

“Is he that guy that dances?” 

“And raps, and sings,” Beomgyu crossed his arms, pouting playfully. “He’s my soulmate. I love one man.”

“Do you seriously believe that?” Soobin asked. “If so, I might have to call you delusional.”

Beomgyu dropped his childlike behavior for a second. “Well, I don’t think it would be impossible for me and Yeonjun to be soulmates. He never shows his mark on camera,” Beomgyu explained. “If he’s not my soulmate, I’ll just wait for them to come.”

Soobin was caught off guard by the sudden maturity. More importantly, he was struck by how little his friend cared. “Are you not going to actively search for your soulmate?”

“Not really,” Beomgyu shrugged. He had two reasons for not caring. For one, he believed that since he and his soulmate were really destined for each other, they would end up finding each other naturally. But there was also the issue of his mark being… unique. “I think things will happen as they should. But on the off chance Yeonjun and I are soulmates…” Beomgyu raised his eyebrows. 

“You have a point,” Soobin thought aloud. “Bebe Rexha did say ‘if it’s meant to be, it will be.’” He cracked a little dimpled smile at his reference. He laughed when Beomgyu rolled his eyes and walked out of their room, typing on his phone.

Soobin’s smile faded as he thought deeper about soulmates and his own mark. He looked down at the incomplete star on his wrist that was usually hidden under a brown leather bracelet. He thought it was odd there was so much empty space on the star. He was supposed to get half an image. Was his soulmate okay? Was he okay? 

Soobin sat at his desk, picking up his Nintendo Switch and starting up Animal Crossing. “At least you guys don’t have to worry about soulmates,” he muttered to the colorful animals on his island.


	3. Call Numbers & Phone Numbers

Kai and Taehyun stayed best friends even after graduation and were now roommates and attending the same university. They were basically inseparable. They shared a simple dorm with one bedroom that Kai had managed to fill with plushies. Taehyun never complained and even started buying plushies for himself. The fluffy dolls found their way around the dorm, successfully making their dorm look like a pre-school.

As close as they were, they never again asked each other about their soulmate marks. The most conversation they had about the marks was when they thought aloud about who their soulmates would be.

“Whoever has my other piece, they better like plushies,” Kai would joke.

“Mine better hate mint choco,” Taehyun snickered.

“They better have taste.”

“Exactly! Hate mint choco!”

They were truly best friends. One would easily mistake them for soulmates. Kai was still a little disappointed that his mark did not match the picture Taehyun sent him years ago, but judging by their bond now, Kai doubted they would ever be separated.

It was a cool mid-morning. Taehyun sat at his desk, scrolling through people’s soulmate tattoo stories. He was searching for something remotely similar to his mark. Upon his research, he found there was a book of unusual soulmate stories. He wrote down the title and the author.

“Hyuka!” he called out. His friend poked his head in the doorway. 

“Yes, Tyun?” 

Taehyun turned the chair around and held out the purple sticky note. “Since you’re going out, can you get me this book from the library?” 

Kai groaned. “Why can’t you just come with me?”

“I’ll pay for our next late night snack,” Taehyun offered. 

“Anything I want?” Kai smirked, making the older sigh.

“Anything you want.”

Kai snatched the sticky note. “Thank you, bestie.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Taehyun playfully rolled his eyes. 

Kai shoved on a pair of worn out Vans and double checked that he had his keys and wallet in his backpack. He began walking out of the building and down the street to the nearby library. Kai figured he would get the book now then go to the grocery store. 

He opened the door and bowed slightly at the librarian, whispering a small “hello”. Kai situated himself at one of the computers to search for the book. He jiggled the mouse and began typing.

‘20+ Stories of Unusual Soulmates’

Kai took an index card and wrote the call number. He thought nothing of the book Taehyun wanted. Kai knew his friend had been reading about soulmates. He just thought Taehyun was curious. 

He cleared the search bar and stood up to find the book. Once he stepped into the nonfiction section, it suddenly hit the boy that he had forgotten how to look for books. He stood confused for a second. Fortunately, there was an employee pushing a cart and placing returned books on the shelves.

“Excuse me,” Kai spoke up. The tall, purple haired man looked away from the shelf, making eye contact with Kai. A part of Kai was slightly flustered. “C-can you help me find this book for my friend?”

The employee hummed and took the index card. “Of course.” He scanned the numbers and looked back at Kai. “Follow me, I’ll show you where it is.” 

On the way to the book, the employee explained how the call number system worked. They finally reached the book. The employee knelt down and slid the book off the shelf. He handed it to Kai with a smile.

“That’s how you find a book.”

“Thank you so much,” Kai squinted slightly to read the man’s name tag. “Soobin.”

“If that’s all you were looking for, I can check it out for you right now,” Soobin suggested. 

“That’d be great.”

Soobin led the younger to the main desk. Kai handed Soobin the book and his library card. Soobin scanned the card and then the book. He made a mental note of the boy’s name before handing over the card and book. “Have a great day.”

“You too. Thank you,” Kai smiled at him before walking out.

Soobin stood dumbly at the desk, watching Kai walk away from the window. I’d probably kill for that kid, Soobin thought to himself. He surprised himself with how kindly he interacted with Kai. Soobin was never cold or rude, but he was on the more shy side. There was just something about how clueless and confused Kai seemed that triggered protective instincts in him. 

He noticed his boss staring at him, making Soobin get up and return to his cart of returned books. Soobin was content at his job. It was slow, quiet, and had very few social interactions. When he was talking to someone, he was helping them. It was nice.

Soobin was just about done returning books. He was now in the children’s book section, filing away thin picture books. He pushed the cart back to the front of the library, checking his watch. It was a few minutes past the end of his shift. He wondered when Beomgyu would be barging in, yelling that he was late for their best friend day out. 

As if on queue, the door swung open and a loud voice filled the silent building. “Choi Soobin!” Beomgyu called out. Soobin covered his face in embarrassment. He knew Beomgyu meant no harm, he was just a little over passionate sometimes. He loves his best friend, but every once in a while Soobin wishes he didn’t know him. 

The librarian shushed Beomgyu loudly, making the boy cover his mouth and apologize meekly. Soobin walked over. “You should stay outside and text me next time,” Soobin chuckled, still slightly embarrassed by his loud friend.

“You were five minutes late, I got tired of waiting,” Beomgyu complained. 

“Sorry for doing my job, I guess.” The two went out of the library and started walking towards a cafe and bakery. It was Soobin’s turn to choose their friend date location, so naturally he wanted to have a peaceful day trying new pastries. 

Soobin loved the smell of freshly baked bread and cakes. Soft music played in the background, filling the atmosphere with a comforting vibe. The two ordered slices of pie and some cookies, along with iced coffee. When they sat down, Beomgyu wasted no time snapping pictures of their food and posting them on Twitter. 

“Yeonjun said he’s working on another vocal cover,” Beomgyu said excitedly. 

“Oh yeah?” Soobin answered half-heartedly. He was much more interested in the warm pie in front of him. He let his friend ramble on, responding to every few sentences with a “that’s cool”. 

A new voice entered, but Soobin remained unbothered. “Mind if I sit here?”

“A little bit, yes,” Soobin kept his eyes on his pie. Suddenly, Beomgyu swatted Soobin’s hand from across the table. “Why would you do that?” he scolded his friend.

Beomgyu signaled Soobin to look up at who had asked to sit with them. There stood a tall, blond, familiar looking man. Wait a second, that’s Yeonjun. Soobin looked back down at his pie, ignoring Beomgyu’s groan.

“Ignore my friend, Yeonjun, you can sit here!” Beomgyu beamed. “I-I’m a big fan of you!”

“Oh, you are?” Yeonjun raised an eyebrow as he sat at the end of the table. 

“Yeah! My name is Choi Beomgyu,” he struggled to contain his excitement.

Yeonjun stopped to think. “GyulovesCYJ?”

Beomgyu’s heart dropped for a moment. He heard Soobin start laughing, so he stomped on his friend’s foot to shut him up. “M-maybe…”

Yeonjun was visibly surprised, but quickly calmed himself down. “Nice to meet my biggest fan, then.”

Beomgyu watched in mild confusion when Soobin muttered something to Yeonjun. “... he’s just excited… forgive him.”

“You seem so calm in the presence of a star,” Yeonjun says aloud to Soobin, who was caught off guard. 

“Sorry, I don’t watch a lot of YouTube,” Soobin managed to get out. 

Yeonjun stood up saying “excuse me” when his order number was called. 

“I can’t believe he knows me by my username…” Beomgyu stared down at his half-eaten pie. “Today is the best and worst day of my life.” 

“I told you to change it, but you didn’t listen,” Soobin shoved a piece of pie in his mouth. 

“My moots know me by my username! You wouldn’t understand, you’re a hag,” Beomgyu pouted.

“I’m only a year older than you,” Soobin deadpanned.

“What was that? I don’t speak hag.” Beomgyu jumped when Yeonjun came back with a sugary looking drink. 

The three ate and talked. For Soobin, it was slightly awkward. He did not appreciate essentially a stranger sitting with him and his best friend during their day out. It was nothing against Yeonjun, he seemed genuinely nice if not a bit flirtatious, but Soobin tried his best not to react. 

For a fair amount of the impromptu hang out, Yeonjun had his eyes on Soobin. He even tried to scan Soobin’s wrist to get a peek at the other’s soulmate mark. Unfortunately, there was a brown leather bracelet that blocked the view.

Beomgyu was in awe the whole time. He tried to forget the whole “Yeonjun knows him by his stan account username” problem and focused on how he met his favorite YouTuber. 

Yeonjun left first, saying he had something planned for the rest of the day. “I’ll give you guys my number, yeah?” 

Beomgyu almost choked on his iced coffee. “Sure!” He held his phone out for Yeonjun to enter his contact information. Yeonjun repeated the process with Soobin’s phone and left the bakery. 

“This was supposed to be our day out,” Soobin complained. 

“The day’s not over yet,” Beomgyu grinned. “We can still go do something.”

“But I’ve had enough of the outdoors,” Soobin grumbled. “My villagers need me.”

“We can go out tonight for dinner.”

“My villagers will still need me.”

“What about me, hyung? I need you,” Beomgyu looked at the elder with puppy dog eyes.

“Maybe we’ll eat out, then.”


	4. Plushies & Late Night Calls

The next week went by like any other. Soobin’s days were filled with work, Animal Crossing, and… Well, that’s basically all he did. He lived a simple life. It was a nice contrast to Beomgyu’s high energy and activity. Their interests were similar enough, both being into music and video games, but the differences in lifestyle created a nice balance. Beomgyu was active and hyper, while Soobin was much calmer. Beomgyu was very extraverted, while Soobin was introverted. They were opposites in that sense, but it only made them closer. 

Over the course of a week, Soobin noticed a particular boy always coming during his shift. It was that Kai kid that Soobin wanted to protect with his life upon first seeing him. Kai would come in and either read a textbook or browse the shelves as if they would have changed dramatically since the previous day. 

There was one day, though, when Kai came in with a friend with dyed red hair. Soobin kept an eye on Kai, as he did the days prior. Kai and his friend were at a computer, whispering to each other. The friend seemed to have a few books with him already. He considered walking to them and making conversation, but decided against it. That’s when the friend approached Soobin with the book Kai had checked out. 

“Excuse me, do you have any more books like this?” he asked, showing Soobin the cover. 

“I can go check at a computer,” Soobin answered. 

“Can you show me and my friend how to? We already have a computer set up,” the boy tilted his head, as if to point behind him to where Kai was sitting. 

“Of course,” Soobin nodded. He followed the younger to the computer. “Nice to see you again, Kai,” Soobin smiled.

“Y-yeah, you too,” Kai stuttered out.

“You didn't tell me you knew one of the employees here,” the friend said, receiving a light push from Kai. “I’m Taehyun.”

“Soobin,” he replied, bending over enough to use the computer. He clicked around a few times, filtering the search to be about subjects and typing ‘soulmates’. 

Kai had his eyes fixed on Soobin, which did not go unnoticed by Taehyun. “Kai, weren’t you going to ask Soobin for his phone number?” 

Kai laughed awkwardly. “I kept forgetting to ask, yeah.” 

“No worries,” Soobin takes an index card and mini pencil, quickly jotting down his phone number and writing ‘Choi Soobin’ under it. “Is that why you were here every day?”

A light blush crept its way onto Kai’s cheeks. “N-no! I just… like books.”

Taehyun laughed aloud at the excuse, quickly muffling himself to not disturb others. Soobin looked at the youngest with a smirk, thinking he was the most precious gem. 

“I believe you,” Soobin humored him. “I need to go back. Text me later, yeah?”

Kai nodded, fighting the urge to hit Taehyun who was still giggling next to him. Kai watched as Soobin walked away. “Tyun, pay for our late snack again. You owe me.”

Finally catching his breath, Taehyun spoke. “Absolutely not. I got you his phone number, coward.”

“But at what cost?” Kai covered his burning face, still dying of embarrassment. “You’re the worst.” He sat up straight again, taking his phone out to enter in Soobin’s contact information.

Kai and Taehyun went out to eat lunch. Feeling only a little bad for his friend, Taehyun paid for their meal. The two spent the rest of the day lazily lounging around their dorm. The two sat on the couch, letting random cartoons play to fill in the silence. 

“Are you gonna text him?” Taehyun asked out of the blue. “Just so at least he has your number, too.”

“That would be smart,” Kai laughed, taking out his phone and opening his contacts. “What do I say?”

“‘Hi, it’s Kai’?” Taehyun raised an eyebrow. 

“That’s it?”

“Well, yeah.”

Kai turned to look at his friend. “But like…”

Taehyun cupped Kai’s face. “Don’t overthink it and stop being a coward.”

The younger sighed. “You’re right. I’m a coward.”

“Kai, I said don’t be a coward,” Taehyun frowned. He squished his friend’s cheeks slightly. “Look at me. You’re going to text the library guy because you’re not a coward.”

Kai removed Taehyun’s hands from his face. “Alright. I can do it.” Kai typed on his phone, hesitating before hitting the send button. 

‘Hi! It’s Kai from the library.’

“Kai from the library?” Taehyun questioned. 

“I don’t know if he knows other Kais!” Kai exclaimed. 

“You have a point, I guess.”

Kai suddenly slammed his phone down on the sofa, yelling. “He’s typing!”

“Hey, calm down.” Taehyun picked up the other’s phone. “He says ‘hi’ with a smiley emoji.”

Kai took his phone back, and stared at the screen for a moment before sending a reply.

Soobin and Kai began texting almost nonstop, only stopping at night and during Soobin’s work hours. Their conversations ranged from being silly and playful to a little more deep, after they got over the initial awkwardness, of course. 

As if Soobin couldn’t want to protect Kai any more than he did, he was taken aback by how someone could type so cutely. Kai tended to type with baby talk and use emoticons instead of emojis. 

‘Soobini-hyung! i know you’re working but look at this penguin video >3< !!!’ 

It was Beomgyu’s turn to decide where to go for their best friend day out. Beomgyu wanted to go to an outdoor mall near their building and browse the shops. Soobin had no qualms with this request, but he had no want to leave the house at all. He was comfy in his hoodie and cow-patterned pajama pants, laying on the couch with his left leg thrown over the back of the couch. An odd position, but a comfortable one. Today was one of his days off and he had planned to text Kai and play Animal Crossing. 

“Hyung, start getting ready. I wanna go!” Beomgyu stomped into the main room. Soobin was thankful they were on the ground level. 

Soobin only grunted in response, moving his leg to lay down normally. He did not move his eyes from his phone screen.

“Who are you texting?” Beomgyu questioned, leaning over his hyung’s essentially lifeless body. When Soobin did not respond, he continued, “I’ve never seen you talk to anyone who isn’t me.”

“It’s someone I met at work,” Soobin deadpanned before exhaling and smiling at a funny message from Kai. “His name is Kai.”

“Is he cool? Does he work with you?” 

“No, he came in looking for a book,” the elder sat up, still typing.

‘Kai, are you doing anything today?’ Soobin sent.

Kai replied quickly. ‘No, Taehyun and i have nothing planned’

“Do you think Kai could hang out with us too?”

“Hyung,” Beomgyu whined. “This is supposed to be our day out!”

Soobin looked up at the younger. “You had Yeonjun with us last week!”

“That’s different, it was unplanned!”

“I’m sure you’ll like Kai, though. He’s really funny,” Soobin tried one more time. “Please, Gyu?”

The younger sighed. “Okay, just because you asked nicely.”

Soobin smiled, standing up quickly. “Thank you, Beomie,” he hugged the younger before leaving to change, shooting a quick text to Kai. 

‘Meet me and my friend at the mall, yeah? We’re planning on being there until dinner. Taehyun can come too.’ Soobin sent the address in a separate text. 

‘Alright hyungie!’

Kai kicked his legs in excitement, making Taehyun glance at the boy across their bedroom. “Taehyunnie, Soobin invited us to go to the mall!”

“Okay,” Taehyun continued reading his book. It was a different book about unusual soulmates. “Send me the address. Go get ready.”

Taehyun quickly memorized the train they had to go on and the stop they had to get off. The train ride was like any other. The two were on their phones in order to avoid any eye contact with strangers. Taehyun kept his arm looped around Kai’s resting his head on the taller’s shoulder.

Taehyun tugged at Kai when they arrived at their stop, silently telling the younger to get up. Kai, who was texting Soobin the whole time, guided Taehyun once they found themselves in the shopping center. Taehyun kept his light grip on Kai the entire time. 

Kai spotted a familiar tall figure with a less familiar, shorter figure in front of a trendy-looking clothing store. “Soobin-hyung!” Kai called out, waving at the older. 

“Kai!” Soobin called back, opening his arms for a hug. Taehyun’s grip slipped as Kai rushed towards the older. 

“Augh!” Beomgyu groaned. “My spot as best friend is being threatened.”

“No it’s not, Gyu,” Soobin comforted, giving his friend a side hug. The eldest turned back to look at Kai and Taehyun. “Kai, Taehyun, this is Beomgyu.”

After friendly introductions, the four seemed to click easily. They browsed different shops and boutiques, chattering the whole time they walked. Mainly Beomgyu was the one rambling on and on. He talked about how Yeonjun had several vlogs and dance videos filmed in this very shopping center. Beomgyu stopped a few times to say “Yeonjun filmed in this spot for a cover”, “Yeonjun said he buys a lot of his clothes from this place”, and so on. 

Kai spotted a toy store, which attracted him more than it should. He pointed like a little kid, walking slowly towards the store and pulling Taehyun, who was holding onto his arm again, with him. “We can buy plushies for each of us!” Kai exclaimed, looking back as Soobin and Beomgyu followed closely. 

Kai rushed to the plushie section, squirming his arm out of Taehyun’s grasp. In response, Taehyun wrapped his arm around Kai’s waist. Beomgyu seemed just as excited about the plushies as Kai, quickly picking up a small brown bear. Beomgyu shoved a bunny plushie of similar size into Soobin’s hands. Kai gave Taehyun a flying squirrel and picked up a penguin for himself. 

“There’s one for each of us!” Kai giggled. “It’s perfect.”

“Hyuka, there’s also a deer. You look more like a deer,” Taehyun said, signalling at a small brown deer plushie. 

“But I like penguins more!”

Beomgyu caught sight of a small orange stuffed fox. He picked it up in one hand. He thought about how Yeonjun was often compared to a fox. Maybe Yeonjun would like it?

Soobin volunteered to pay for the plushies, using the logic that he was the eldest in the group. He was also coincidentally the only one with a stable job. Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai all received money from their families. 

“Gyu, do you want me to pay for that fox, too?” Soobin offered.

Beomgyu thought for a moment. “No, I’ve got it, hyung.” 

They paid and continued roaming around the mall. Beomgyu continued rambling about Yeonjun, praising the man for his hard work and trying to get the others to consider watching his videos. That’s when from the corner of his eye, Beomgyu spotted someone sitting on a bench outside a cafe with striking bleached hair and a camera. It was Yeonjun, and by the looks of it, he was setting up his camera to film something. 

“Guys!!” Beomgyu yelled, stopping the group completely. They were several yards away from Yeonjun, so thankfully he did not hear. “It’s Yeonjun!! I bought the fox for him!”

“I don’t think you should bother him,” Taehyun said. “He looks busy.”

“Yeah, Gyu, you should probably just text him later,” Soobin placed a hand on the younger’s shoulder.

“Okay,” Beomgyu sighed, deflating slightly. 

“Should we go find a place to eat now?” Kai suggested, shifting the topic of conversation away from the Youtuber.

What they did not know was that Yeonjun had spotted them, too. He saw Soobin and Beomgyu with two other people, but still hoped that they would come over. Yeonjun pretended to be busy with his camera so they would not think that he was out alone. What a great plan that was. He watched sadly as the group walked away, talking and laughing as they did. 

Yeonjun went home shortly after that incident. He had no footage, nothing he needed to record, no ideas for future videos. He took a shower and slid into pajamas. It was just barely the time he ate dinner. Yeonjun made a pack of instant ramen and ate while watching a drama. Nothing interesting.

Like most days, he ended up spending that time contemplating. He thought about what he could have been and how he ended up in such a rut. Sure he had a successful YouTube channel and a stable online presence, but at some point it had started feeling more like a chore than a passion. Not only that, but he felt alone. He had many fans and admirers, but he lacked genuine friends. Maybe that’s why he felt so bad when he saw Soobin and Beomgyu with two other people.

Yeonjun sat on his couch, defeated. His now empty bowl of ramen sat in his lap as he stared blankly at the characters on screen. He looked down at the incomplete star on his left wrist. 

What if his soulmate was one of his viewers? What if his soulmate saw Youtuber Choi Yeonjun instead of the real Choi Yeonjun? The Yeonjun who wanted to be an idol, but never debuted. The Yeonjun who tried to compensate for his loneliness with an inflated ego. The Yeonjun that just wanted someone to hold and have a life with. 

“I hope you see me for me, whoever you are.”

Yeonjun exhaled slowly, wiping away a few tears that threatened to fall. He stood up and took the empty bowl to the kitchen, placing it in the sink and promising himself to wash it in the morning. He returned to the couch, laying on his back his time. He spent hours on the couch, though to him it felt like minutes. When he checked the time, it was already midnight. 

He got up, feeling a few joints crack here and there. Yeonjun stretched his back and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He looked into the mirror. He looked tired. Half alive. Just… He looked bad, which was never something he would say aloud. 

Once he was in bed, he could not fall asleep. He picked up his phone from his side table and scrolled through his contact list. It was mainly people he had worked with and acquaintances. He scrolled back to the top and looked at two names that stuck out. 

He tapped on one, hitting the call button.

It rang for a moment.

“Hmm, Yeonjun-hyung?” Beomgyu sounded sleepy, as if he was just woken up. Yeonjun did not respond right away, suddenly feeling bad for waking up the younger. “Hello?”

“Hi, sorry,” Yeonjun mumbled.

“Why are you calling me so late?” Beomgyu asked. There was the ruffling of sheets from the other end.

“Sorry if I woke you up,” Yeonjun apologized again. “I just needed someone to talk to, I guess.” 

“Hm, that’s okay. What do you want to talk about?”

“I saw you at the mall today… With your friends.”

“Oh, yeah. We didn’t want to disturb you.”

Yeonjun played with the end of his blanket in one hand. “You could have come to say ‘hi’. I don’t mind. I… You don’t have to treat me like a celebrity. I’m just a guy that posts videos. Treat me like a friend… Don’t think so highly of me…”

“Oh… I’m sorry,” Beomgyu said after a short moment of silence. He was a little surprised at this. It had never crossed his mind that he was putting Yeonjun on a pedestal. He felt bad. Beomgyu had forgotten that Yeonjun was human, too. 

“It’s okay.” There was a pause. Yeonjun spoke again. “Do you think we can hang out tomorrow? Or whenever…”

“Wait, like just us or--”

“I’d like with the whole group,” Yeonjun interrupted. “I kind of want to make a few real friends.” 

“Right, okay.” Beomgyu was slightly disappointed, but excited nonetheless. “I’ll ask Soobin-hyung in the morning.” 

Another moment of silence.

“Hyung?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you wanna stay on call?”

“I’d like that.”


	5. Mint Choco & Matching Marks

Taehyun woke up with his arm around Kai and his face pressed into the younger’s back. This happened very often. Being as close as they were, Kai found it nice to sleep in Taehyun’s bed next to him. Taehyun welcomed it every time, enjoying the warmth from the younger. Sometimes it seemed like Kai’s bed was just storage for his plushies. 

Taehyun rolled over to pick up his phone. He checked it to see many, many notifications. They were from a group chat of him, Kai, Soobin, and Beomgyu. Each text was from Beomgyu. 

‘Guyssssssss’

‘Saturday’

‘Ice cream parlor’

‘U know the one’

‘Yeonjun-hyung is coming’

‘Pls be nice to him’

‘Sometime around like 2-3pm’

‘It would mean a lot if u come’

Taehyun gave up reading each text and sat up. Kai slept like a log next to him. He noticed that Kai’s left hand was tucked safely under his cheek, blocking Taehyun’s view of his wrist. Taehyun would never peek at Kai’s wrist without him knowing or consenting, but sometimes it was very tempting. 

Taehyun shook the younger slightly. “Hyuka, wake up now.”

There was no response. 

He shook the boy a little harder. “Kai wake up.”

“Ugh… No,” Kai grumbled, curling in on himself. Taehyun climbed on top of Kai, successfully smothering him. 

“Kaiiii, wake up now,” Taehyun said in a playful tone, poking the younger’s sides. Kai giggled and squirmed under Taehyun, eventually shoving Taehyun off of him. 

“Okay, okay, I’m up!” 

“Beomgyu-hyung wants us all to go out again on Saturday,” Taehyun explained, showing Kai his phone. Kai scrolled quickly through the messages. 

“Who’s Yeonjun, again?”

“The YouTuber they’re friends with.”

“Ohh. He texted again,” Kai gave Taehyun his phone back.

‘R u awake??????’

Beomgyu continued spamming the group chat, eventually stopping when Taehyun sent back a ‘please stop, hyung. we’ll be there’.

Saturday arrived much too slowly for Beomgyu. When it was finally the day, Beomgyu spammed the group chat again, making sure everyone was still on board. Beomgyu brought the fox plushie he had bought for Yeonjun, anxiously clutching onto the small object. He and Soobin had arrived at the ice cream parlor first, waiting at one of the outdoor tables. Taehyun and Kai came not too long later, leaving the four to wait for Yeonjun. 

“Maybe we should go in already..?” Kai said softly. 

“No, he’s coming!” Beomgyu responded, checking his phone for messages from Yeonjun. He was scared that Yeonjun had cancelled. 

“Hey,” a familiar voice said, making Beomgyu look up from his phone. 

“Yeonjun-hyung!” Beomgyu stood up, reaching out for a hug that Yeonjun was glad to return. He handed the eldest the fox plushie. “I got this for you at the mall.”

“Oh! Thank you!” Yeonjun smiled widely, taking the plushie. 

“This is Taehyun and Kai, by the way,” Beomgyu introduced his friends, motioning to each boy. “You already know Soobin-hyung, he’s not important.” 

“I’ll lock you out of our apartment,” Soobin threatened, standing up. “Come, let’s go get our ice cream.”

“Ah, the only time you want to move is for food,” Beomgyu joked. 

“Give me your key,” Soobin held out his hand. 

“Jokes on you, I left it at home!” Beomgyu said smugly before realizing. “Wait, you have your key, though, right?”

Soobin lightly face palmed. “Yes, I do.” He opened the door, holding it open for the other four. Beomgyu let Yeonjun order first, well more like forced Yeonjun to order first. When the blond man asked for mint choco, Beomgyu, Soobin, and Taehyun all looked at him in disgust. 

“What did you just say?” Taehyun spoke. 

“Is there a problem with mint choco?” Yeonjun glared at the shorter. 

“It’s cold toothpaste,” Soobin complained, Beomgyu and Taehyun agreeing. 

The rest of them each got their ice cream and they all went back outside to the table they waited at. Taehyun had cherry, Beomgyu had vanilla, Soobin had chocolate, and Yeonjun and Kai both got mint choco, which left the other three in mild disgust. There were only four chairs at the table. Soobin was left without a chair. 

“You can sit on my lap, Soobinnie,” Yeonjun winked.

“No thank you,” Soobin laughed, faking disgust. He placed his cup of ice cream on the table and retrieved another chair from the empty table across from them. 

“Why not Soobinnie?” Yeonjun whined, his lips jutting out in a pout. 

“I can’t love someone who likes mint choco,” Soobin put a spoonful of chocolate ice cream in his mouth. 

“What about me, hyungie?” Kai pouted. “You love me!”

“You’re the exception.”

“Beomgyu, you’ll love me, right?” Yeonjun said dramatically, leaning on the younger.

“Of course, hyung!” Beomgyu blushed lightly. “I just don’t approve of your choices.”

“You and Hyuka are tasteless,” Taehyun said with a smirk. “Mint choco is disgusting.”

“Maybe it would taste better if you tasted it from my lips,” Yeonjun spread a thin layer of the green ice cream on his lower lip, leaning towards Taehyun.

“I think that would make me hate it more,” Taehyun shuddered, fake gagging. 

“Yeonjun-hyung, that’s gross!” Kai exclaimed, covering his mouth. 

Yeonjun laughed, licking his lips in a sensual way, making eye contact with Soobin. He blew a kiss and winked. Soobin grimaced and pretended to catch the kiss and throw it back at the elder. 

Beomgyu jokingly yelled, “Why would you waste a kiss?” making the others laugh loudly. The only one not laughing was Taehyun, who had caught a glimpse of Soobin’s wrist. 

Taehyun was in shock. Soobin’s mark looked just like his. An empty star with one segment filled in. Was Soobin his soulmate? But even put together, their marks don’t make a full image. Were there more of them? 

The days following that hangout, Taehyun had his nose buried in many soulmate-related books. He never told anyone what he saw, but it never left his mind. One day, Taehyun decided to take his research to the library. He brought a few of his own books and his laptop. Before he sat down, he quickly scanned shelves for books that could help him. He bumped into someone, apologizing quickly in a hushed voice. 

“Oh, hi Taehyunnie,” The person said. It was Soobin. 

“Hey, hyung,” the younger was slightly shaken. He thought for a moment before speaking again. “Can we talk somewhere in private?”

“Give me like,” Soobin looked at his watch. It was strategically placed over his soulmate mark. “Fifteen minutes. I’m almost done for the day.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll be at the computers, just get me,” Taehyun walked away, situating himself at a computer that had almost no one nearby. He set up his laptop and placed a few books out, opening them to his bookmarked pages.

He read a lot about more unique marks. Ones that were unevenly split, but even those were still two parts. He read some cases on very similar looking marks that don’t actually complete each other. Nothing about more than two pieces. 

An idea popped in his head. Polyamory. He quickly typed it in the search bar and pressed enter. He cheered himself silently. At that moment, Soobin tapped his shoulder, startling him. 

“I’m done now,” Soobin whispered. “Pack up, we’ll go to the park?”

Taehyun calmed down, closing his laptop slowly. “Sure.” He gathered his belongings and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He held onto Soobin’s arm as they exited the building and walked to the park across the street. 

“What did you want to talk about?” Soobin asked.

“At the ice cream place… No,” Taehyun struggled to correctly phrase what he wanted to say. 

“Huh?”

“Uh, soulmate marks,” Taehyun said loud enough for Soobin to hear. “I saw yours that day we were at the ice cream parlor.”

Soobin stopped walking. They had just reached the park. Soobin felt his heart rate increase, suddenly being filled with anxiety. “You... what?”

“I’m sorry if you didn’t want me to see, but hyung stay with me, this is important,” Taehyun unlinked their arms, instead he stood in front of the elder and held his hands. “I think we’re soulmates… But I don’t think it’s just me and you.” 

Soobin looked down and took off his watch with shaky hands, revealing his mark. Taehyun pulled down his sleeve just enough to show his mark. 

Two incomplete stars with one piece filled in each.

Soobin held Taehyun’s delicate wrist and rubbed over the mark with his thumb, as if he didn’t believe it was real. Tears pricked his eyes, but he didn’t know why. He found his soulmate. 

Well, one of his soulmates.


	6. Park Days & Kitty Heads

“Taehyun, we’re soulmates!” Soobin cried out, wrapping the younger in a large embrace. Taehyun hugged back, enjoying the warmth. “But it’s not just me and you?” his smile quickly fell, holding Taehyun by his shoulders. “Could it be the others?”

“I don’t know,” Taehyun held onto Soobin’s arms. “I don’t really know where to go from here… I’m not even sure how this is supposed to work…”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t think this is supposed to be a polyamorous relationship,” Taehyun explained. “No offense, but I don’t really want to marry you, hyung. I think… And I could be wrong… Maybe soulmates aren't always romantic.”

“Friend soulmates?” 

“Something like that.”

The two stared at each other for a moment, not moving. Soobin broke the silence. “Do we tell the others? Do we show them?”

“I don’t think so yet…” Taehyun though aloud. “It’s still… iffy.”

“Alright,” Soobin let go of Taehyun’s shoulders. “Wanna stay here longer? Yeonjun and Beomgyu are hanging out. Is Kai doing anything?”

“He’s with his sisters today. We can stay.”

The two newfound soulmates walked around and watched the ducks well into the afternoon. They eventually sat on a bench, just talking about how they felt about their soulmate marks since their 16th birthdays. They bonded over the fear and worry they experienced because of the unusual marks. 

“Even though we still aren’t sure about this whole thing, I’m glad we found each other,” Taehyun sighed, leaning on the taller. 

“I’m glad, too,” Soobin wrapped his arm around the Taehyun. 

Soobin and Taehyun kept this secret for the next few days, never even mentioning the word “soulmate” around the others in fear of slipping up. It was another week later. Soobin wasn’t working so the group decided to go to the park. It was a bright, but slightly breezy day. They mostly laid around and talked, conversations filled with jokes and the occasional deep topics. 

Eventually, they started getting hungry. They played rock-paper-scissors to decide who will walk to the convenience store for snacks and who gets to stay at the park. Yeonjun, Beomgyu, and Taehyun lost, complaining as they stood up. Soobin and Kai laid alone together on the grass, not saying much. 

Soobin started thinking about the conversation he had with Taehyun a week ago. “Hey Hueningie.”

“Yes, hyungie?” Kai replied in a baby voice. 

“Have you seen Taehyun’s soulmate mark?”

“Oh, yeah! He showed me when he turned 16,” Kai recalled the memory, smiling.

The answer confused Soobin. Taehyun had said no one has ever seen his soulmate mark until Soobin.

“Really?”

Kai hummed. “It’s a kitty head! But don’t tell him I told you,” Kai quickly covered his mouth. “He doesn’t like to talk about it.” 

“Can I see your mark?”

The sudden question made Kai sit up to look down at his hyung. His face was tinted pink. “My mark?” Kai tugged on his left hoodie sleeve, unsure if he wanted to expose it.

“You don’t have to,” Soobin added, sitting up as well. “I’m just curious…”

Kai thought for a long moment. He weighed his options. There was the chance that he and Soobin had the same mark and completed his star, but there was also the chance Soobin would think that Kai’s mark was strange. He doubted Soobin’s mark had four-fifths of a star, but he figured he would never know unless he showed the elder. “No, it’s okay…”

Kai was about to roll up his sleeve when-

“We got your snacks, you sloths!!” Beomgyu yelled, running over to the other two. Yeonjun and Taehyun ran after him.

Soobin and Kai never continued their conversation, but Soobin was more concerned about Kai’s description of Taehyun’s soulmate mark. He understood why Taehyun wouldn’t show his best friend his mark, Soobin never showed his to Beomgyu, but why would Taehyun pretend to have another mark? 

They continued laughing and playing, running around like children. Soobin kept an eye on Taehyun, though. He was not sure what to think. He saw how close Taehyun and Kai were. The former was very clingy with Kai, and they obviously have a lot of trust in each other. But Taehyun lied about his soulmate mark? 

He observed as Taehyun suddenly jumped onto Kai’s back and Kai instantly gave him a piggyback ride. Their bond was strong. 

“Ah, Taehyunnie you need to eat more,” Kai said, bouncing the boy on his back slightly. “You’re lighter than before.”

“Maybe you've just gotten stronger,” Taehyun suggested. 

“Or we need to have late snacks more often,” Kai retaliated. “But that’d cost too much.” 

“Why don’t you bring us on those dates?” Beomgyu questioned. 

“You need to expand your palate first,” Taehyun chuckled. 

“I’ll take you out, Beomgyu,” Yeonjun flirted. 

The five had a long day together, eventually deciding it was time for them to go to their respective homes. When Taehyun and Kai arrived at their dorm, they ate quickly and decided to watch a movie. It was a romance film that Taehyun was so eager to watch a few months ago, but ended up never seeing. Kai had argued to watch an animated movie, but Taehyun complained about Kai picking their past two movies. 

They cuddled together under one big, fluffy blanket. Taehyun was basically on top of Kai, snuggling into the younger’s chest. About three-fourths into the movie, Kai had fallen asleep. Taehyun kept their position, being too comfy to move. The redhead heard a phone vibrate on the cushion next to them. It was his. He picked it up and read the caller ID.

Soobin-hyung

Taehyun slowly removed himself from Kai’s and the blanket’s warmth. He made sure to cover Kai with the blanket again. He took a few steps into the hallway and answered the call. “Hyung, what’s up?”

“I contemplated asking you about this,” Soobin started. “Why does Kai think your soulmate mark is a cat head?”

Taehyun swallowed harshly, thrown off by the direct question. He knew exactly what Soobin was talking about. “Why do you know about that?”

“I asked Kai about your mark. I was curious,” Soobin replied. “Now answer my question. Why did you lie to him for years? You’re best friends…”

“Listen, he never asked again so technically I lied once,” Taehyun raised his voice slightly. He knew he should be quieter, but Kai usually sleeps like a log. 

Unfortunately, Taehyun should have been quieter. Kai sat up when he realized Taehyun was no longer on him. He heard Taehyun talking from the hallway, but stayed on the couch. Eavesdropping was bad, but Kai’s curiosity overtook him. 

“It was on my sixteenth birthday… Kai wanted to see it but I didn’t want to show it…”

Kai tried to remember that night. Right, Taehyun sent a photo of his kitty soulmate mark. 

“But I didn’t want to not send anything… I saw my cat and decided to fake my mark. I didn’t mean any harm, I just panicked!”

Kai’s heart dropped. He felt sick. His mind went directly to wondering if Taehyun had the four-fifths of the star on his own wrist, but soon the anger and hurt took over. He gripped the blanket hard. 

“I don’t know if I want to tell him, hyung…”

Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing.

“Hyung, don't tell him!” 

Kai stood up and walked into the hallway, almost towering over his friend though they were only a few inches apart in height. 

“I already know,” Kai deadpanned, hot tears streaming down his face. 

Taehyun jumped, hanging up instantly. “Hyuka! I didn’t think you would get up--”

“And I didn’t think my best friend would lie to me for so long…” Kai pressed his nails into his own palms, knuckles turning white. “What else have you been hiding? Huh?! Speak, Kang Taehyun!”

Taehyun winced at his friend’s harsh tone, but he understood that the younger was just hurt. He tried his best to remain cool and collected. “Kai, you don’t understand--”

“What, I don’t understand that you don’t trust me?!” 

“What do you mean?! You can’t even trust me with your mark!” Taehyun yelled. 

“At least I didn’t lie for years!!” Kai’s voice cracked, effectively breaking Taehyun’s heart. The younger opened his mouth to speak again, but only a sob came out. He hid his face, suddenly shrinking. 

“Kai… I’ll show you my mark if you want…” Taehyun offered, attempting to comfort Kai. He placed a hand on the other’s arm just for it to be whacked away.

“You’re the one not understanding,” Kai sniffled. “Even if we ended up being soulmates, I don’t think I could love someone who would lie to me like this.”

Taehyun’s heart ached. He watched as his friend shoved past him and went to their room without a word. Kai slammed the door shut. Taehyun didn't notice that his phone was vibrating angrily in his hand, buzzing with notifications from Soobin. 

‘Taehyun?’

‘Is everything okay?’

Taehyun ignored the messages for now. He knocked on their bedroom door, pressing his ear against the wood. “Hyuka?” 

He heard a ‘click’. Kai locked the door. “Go away.” 

“We can talk about this!” Taehyun’s vision began to blur due to tears wanting to fall.

“I don’t want to talk to you right now,” Kai cried.

“Kai, please open the door,” Taehyun begged. “Please let me in. Let me explain…”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“I can explain,” Taehyun pleaded once more, falling to his knees and choking back sobs. “I’m sorry…”

“Just leave, Taehyun.”

The words cut through him like a knife. His best friend for what was essentially his whole life, shut him out.

Taehyun’s phone never stopped vibrating.

‘Hyun call me back’

‘Are you okay’

Soobin tried calling Taehyun back for the third time. Finally, the younger picked up. “Taehyun..? What happened?”

“H-hyung,” Taehyun sobbed. Soobin’s parental instincts kicked in immediately. “He heard me hyung…”

“What did he say?” Soobin anxiously played with the hem of his shirt, trying to stay quiet so as to not wake Beomgyu on the top bunk. 

“He’s mad, hyung, he’s really mad.” Taehyun’s cries ripped a hole in Soobin’s heart. “He told me to leave… Hyung help me… What do I do?”

Soobin sat up, slipping out of his bed. His apartment complex was not too far from Taehyun and Kai’s dorm building. It was a fairly long walk, but nothing too bad. “Meet me outside of your dorm. I’ll walk there and take you here.”

“What about Kai?” Taehyun asked, sounding calmer.

“Give him his space.” Soobin pulled on a hoodie and shoved his key in his pocket. “Wait a bit, I’ll be there.”

“Thank you, hyung.”

“You’re very welcome, Taehyun.”

“Where are you going?” Beomgyu’s drowsy voice said as Soobin opened the front door.

“I’m getting Taehyun,” Soobin answered. “I’ll explain when I’m back.”

Beomgyu groaned. “He’s sleeping in your bed, then.”

When he arrived, Soobin automatically wrapped Taehyun in a hug. He felt the younger start crying again. Soobin ran his hand through slightly damaged, dyed hair. “You’re okay,” he whispered. “It’ll be okay.”

“Hyung, I feel really bad,” Taehyun managed to get out, looking up at the older with large, shimmering, tear-filled eyes. He looked like such a baby, Soobin thought.

“I know, I know… Kai just needs some space,” Soobin caressed Taehyun’s hair again. “C’mon, let’s get walking.”

About halfway through their walk, Taehyun had started yawning. Soobin offered to carry the younger. Taehyun refused, but Soobin picked him up bridal-style anyway. 

“Kai was right, you do need to eat more, Hyun,” Soobin commented, slightly concerned about how easily he picked up the smaller. Taehyun didn’t respond, he simply held onto Soobin’s hoodie, resting his head on the elder’s chest. 

Taehyun had dozed off slightly, waking up when Soobin softly stated “we’re here”. Soobin put Taehyun down and unlocked the door. Beomgyu was lying on the living room carpet, scrolling through Twitter on his phone. 

“Finally, you’re back,” Beomgyu sat up. “Explain now.”

Soobin locked the door and sat on the floor next to Beomgyu. Taehyun sat close to Soobin, leaning on him sleepily. “Kai and I had a fight,” Taehyun answered, his eyelids struggling to stay open. 

“Kai just needs alone time,” Soobin said. “Beomgyu, how about you get our pillows and blankets, we’ll sleep here tonight? It’s like a sleepover but…”

“Sad,” Taehyun mumbled.

“Yeah, sad.”

Beomgyu cooperated for once, retrieving enough pillows and two blankets. They made a comfy cuddle-pile on the carpeted floor, Taehyun already fast asleep between the two, clinging onto Soobin’s waist. 

Before he fell asleep, Soobin shot a quick text to Kai. ‘Taehyun told me what happened. He’s at my place, just so you know.’

Kai was still awake when he received the text. He had calmed down for the most part, now left feeling cold and empty. 


	7. Completion & Denial

Kai woke up to the front door shutting. It was barely past noon. Did he really sleep that long? He figured it was because he did not have Taehyun to be his human alarm clock. Kai got up, accidentally knocking a few plushies off his bed. Normally, he would pick them up in a heartbeat and apologize, this time he didn't care. Kai unlocked the door and walked out. On his way to the bathroom, he saw Soobin and Taehyun, making him stop in his tracks.

“Good afternoon, Kai,” Soobin greeted. “I’m on my break. Just decided to walk Taehyun home. I’ll be going now.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Kai spat, ignoring Taehyun’s presence entirely and going to the bathroom.

Taehyun looked up at Soobin, a little nervous. “You’ll be okay,” Soobin mouthed before leaving the dorm. Taehyun sighed and went to his room, getting new clothes to change into. He turned around and Kai was in the doorway. They stared at each other in silence.

“I’m sorry,” Taehyun says.

“I…” Kai starts. “It’s fine.”

“Kai--”

“Don’t worry about showing me your real mark. I don’t want to show you mine either,” the younger deadpans. Taehyun can feel his sadness, though. He always can.

Kai spent less time with Taehyun. He started going out with Yeonjun to various shops and arcades. It was just easier for him to fake happiness around someone who did not know the situation at all. Every night, Kai came home to either Taehyun already asleep, or out at Soobin’s apartment. He didn't complain.

A while had passed since the day in the park, or as Kai remembers it, the day he found out Taehyun was a liar. Yeonjun wanted the five of them to meet up again. None of the four had the ability to turn down their eldest hyung like that. They all agreed to go to that same ice cream parlor.

Yeonjun was there first. Then Soobin and Beomgyu. Finally, Taehyun and Kai. Right away, everyone could feel the strange atmosphere. Taehyun was not holding onto Kai.

“It’s been so long since we all met up!” Yeonjun exclaimed, attempting to lighten the mood. 

“It was a week, hyungie,” Kai forced himself to giggle, clinging onto the eldest. “And you saw me yesterday!”

Taehyun frowned. Kai had not said a word until now. Beomgyu saw Taehyun’s face and grasped the other’s hand, fingers intertwined. Taehyun appreciated the comfort, squeezing the older’s hand slightly.

They got their ice cream with significantly less bickering than their first ice cream hangout. They sat at the same round table as last time, but Kai sat between Soobin and Yeonjun, across from Taehyun. 

“Hyung, I can’t believe you still got mint choco,” Beomgyu attempted to get them all talking. The silence was almost suffocating him.

“I can't believe you still haven’t converted to the right side of this argument,” Yeonjun stuck his tongue out. 

“No, hyung, you’re just gross,” Soobin tried to laugh. “Mint choco lovers have no rights… except for Kai.”

They continued with awkward, yet playful conversation. Beomgyu and Yeonjun spoke the most, trying their best to ease the atmosphere and get the others to crack a few smiles. The smiles never came, at least not genuinely. 

Taehyun wished he could cover his ears without it seeming weird. They have somehow landed on the topic of soulmates. 

“No, if I’m soulmates with someone, they can’t like mint choco,” Beomgyu said a little too loudly.

“Then clearly, we’re not soulmates,” Yeonjun retorted. He turned to look at Soobin. “You and I, however…”

“Oh, absolutely not,” Soobin scrunched his face slightly. “I love you, hyung, but we can’t possibly be soulmates. I don’t believe in toothpaste ice cream.”

“Maybe you’re soulmates with Kai,” Taehyun said, his voice laced with bitterness. He wished he stopped himself from saying that. 

“At least he for sure isn’t soulmates with you,” Kai snarled back. “Can’t imagine anyone being soulmates with a li--”

“Hey,” Soobin raised his voice, protecting Taehyun from the other’s words. The table went silent for a moment. 

Yeonjun was confused, completely in the dark. Though he had not been friends with Taehyun and Kai for that long, it was scary to see them so distant from each other. They were so clingy and close until this. A mild wave of panic crashed over him. He did not want anything bad to happen to this group of friends. This was his only genuine group of friends.

“Taehyunnie, you haven’t touched your ice cream, are you finally converting to the mint choco club?” Yeonjun attempted to joke.

“Not at all,” Taehyun replied, scooping a bit of bright red cherry ice cream in his mouth. The truth was the stress from the whole situation with Kai left him with a knot in his stomach. 

Kai seemed to feel differently. He ate his ice cream faster, though it appeared he was just stopping himself from lashing out at Taehyun. He tuned out the conversation, losing himself as he replayed that night in his head. Kai was still hurt. It had less to do with the possibility of being soulmates with Taehyun, his biggest issue was how someone so close to him had the audacity to lie for so long. It absolutely baffled him. 

Kai suddenly looked up when he heard Beomgyu say “If you’re so sure you’re Soobin’s soulmate, why don’t you prove it?”

“Then I will!” Yeonjun stood up. He held out his left wrist in the center of the table and pulled up his sleeve revealing a mark that was all too familiar for the other four.

They all stared silently, in shock. Yeonjun started to feel insecure when no one responded.

“Hyung,” Beomgyu started. He pulled down his own left sleeve and revealed his soulmate mark. The star with one filled in piece. “We’re soulmates!”

Taehyun and Soobin stared at each other, as if they were having a silent conversation. Soobin tilted his head and Taehyun nodded. Soobin removed his watch and pushed down his bracelet. Taehyun pulled down his sleeve.

Kai looked around, clenching his left wrist. Taehyun had the same mark as him. This whole time they were soulmates? The night 16-year-old Kai was upset that Taehyun’s soulmate was for nothing? He rolled up his hoodie sleeve and showed his mark.

Each boy had the same mark. A five-point star with one part filled in.

Taehyun felt nauseous when he saw Kai had the same mark. He mentally cursed himself for never showing Kai or even asking to see Kai’s. He hated how he made his own soulmate so angry at him the week prior. He hated how they still were not on talking terms. 

Everyone was silent, each in their own heads. 

“Well…” Yeonjun said softly. “I didn’t expect to have four soulmates, that’s for sure.” He chuckled.

Kai stood up and rolled his sleeve back down. “I only have three.” Without another word, he began walking, no, running down the street.

Taehyun watched as his best friend, one of his soulmates, ran at the sight of being his soulmate. Taehyun felt like invisible walls were closing in on him, he began shaking, finding it harder and harder to breathe. Soobin tried to calm him down, but Taehyun smacked his hand away, curling in on himself in the chair. His vision blurred and his hearing felt muffled. “Don’t touch me!” He cried out. He was crying? “Kai, I’m sorry!” 

Yeonjun watched in silence, trying to digest the scene in front of him. He discovered that his first set of real friends were also his soulmates, but Kai seemed unhappy. He was unhappy the whole time. Taehyun, too. They were fighting? Kai never told Yeonjun they were fighting. Now Taehyun was having a breakdown, screaming and crying, but Yeonjun couldn’t hear anything. 

Taehyun eventually cooled down, now crying into Soobin’s sweatshirt quietly while the older hugged him and rubbed his back. Beomgyu was holding one of Taehyun’s hands, whispering what Yeonjun assumed to be comforting words. 

Once Taehyun stopped crying, Soobin spoke to all of them. “I think it’s best we all go home. I’ll take Taehyun to his dorm. You two be safe.” 

Beomgyu and Yeonjun agreed. Yeonjun watched as Soobin picked up a seemingly asleep Taehyun and began walking, leaving the other two. 

“So…” Beomgyu stood up. “All five of us are soulmates?”

Yeonjun snapped out of his thoughts. “Apparently so… Do you know what happened with Taehyun and Kai?”

“They had a fight last week,” Beomgyu answered. “I don’t know all of the details, but it was really bad. Kai kicked Taehyun out of their dorm that night.”

There was silence again. 

“I didn’t think we would all be soulmates,” Yeonjun said suddenly. “I didn’t actually think any of you would be mine…”

“Yeah… it is… weird,” Beomgyu furrowed his brows. “But I’m glad we have each other, right?”

Yeonjun hummed in response. “Yeah.” Though it was nice, a million more thoughts started flying in the blond’s head. “I’m gonna go on a walk.”

“I can come if you--”

“I’d prefer to be alone, but thank you, Beomgyu.”

“Oh… that’s okay. Get home safe, okay?”

“You too.”

Yeonjun began walking, having a million thoughts a minute. He thought about what to do with this new information. Should he make a video on it? No, he does not want to monetize his soulmates. He also does not want any backlash from his fans. Not only were his soulmates all guys, there were four of them. Yeonjun did not want to risk any harassment. 

He thought about what this all meant. Clearly they could not be romantic partners. He didn't really feel that way for anyone in particular. All his flirting was really just a way for him to interact confidently. 

Finally, he thought about Taehyun and Kai. Kai never showed any signs of his and Taehyun’s decaying friendship during the week. This troubled him. What other thoughts did that kid have locked inside him?

Yeonjun found himself in a park. He walked slowly, attempting to take in the scenery and calm himself down. He passed a few empty benches, then a bench that had a young man sitting in it. The young man was in a purple hoodie, staring blankly at his lap with tear-stained cheeks. He backtracked when he realized who it was.

“Hueningie?” 

“Yeonjun-hyung,” Kai said softly, clearly startled by the elder. “Hi…”

“Do you… need to talk?” Yeonjun sat down next to Kai. “Because hyung is here for you…”

Kai hesitated. “Taehyun lied to me…”

Yeonjun was taken aback. “What happened?”

“When he turned sixteen and I was still fifteen…” Kai began the story, explaining the nights he and Taehyun got their marks. He explained how they avoided talking about it. He even explained the night he heard Taehyun talking about how he faked his mark. He started tearing up. “When I was younger, I wished that Taehyun and I would be soulmates. Not because I liked him, but because I was so sure we’d be together forever. Then he lied and… I don’t think we can be… But now we’re soulmates? How cruel is that…”

Yeonjun listened closely, noticing how Kai’s voice shook at times. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that…”

“Not only that, but I have more than one soulmate? How do I tell my family?” Kai turned to look at Yeonjun. “Hyung, I’m so unsure of everything…”

“I understand that,” Yeonjun replied. “I’m also… stuck.” Yeonjun talked shortly about how he was not sure what to do about the ‘multiple soulmates’ discovery. He briefly talked about his fans and his own feelings about the situation. “I’m so thankful I have you four, though. Even if this isn’t what I had in mind.” 

“Hyung…” Kai inched closer to the elder. “I just… don’t know what to think about Taehyun…”

“I think you should talk it out with him,” Yeonjun suggested. “That’s the only way you’ll be able to fully understand his side. Communication is important.”

Kai nodded silently. He looked around. The sky was fading into warm, pretty shades of pink and orange. “Can I stay with you tonight?”


	8. Forgiveness & Promise

Taehyun must have passed out. He woke up in Soobin’s arms while the elder was walking. He snuggled into Soobin’s chest, trying to get as much comfort as possible.

“You’re awake, that’s good,” Soobin said in a hushed tone. “You passed out after uhm…” 

“Soulmate marks… and Kai…”

“Yeah, that.”

“You can put me down, hyung…” Taehyun mumbled. Soobin stopped at a bench, letting Taehyun down slowly. He helped the younger stand up, making sure he was steady. 

“We’re almost to your dorm, okay?” Soobin tried to hold Taehyun’s hand, now a common occurrence between them. Instead, Taehyun linked his arm to Soobin's the way he would with Kai.

It wasn’t long before they arrived. Soobin remembered the path through the building from the first time he brought Taehyun home. 

Taehyun laid down on the couch right away, feeling weak and weighed down. Soobin decided to scan their kitchen for any food. As expected, there were only things found at convenience stores. Soobin boiled water and made two packs of instant ramen, dividing the noodles into two bowls. He placed the bowls on the coffee table and sat down next to Taehyun’s head, stroking his hair lightly.

“Hyunnie, wake up,” Soobin cooed. “You need to eat something, I can tell you haven't been eating.” 

Taehyun opened his eyes, slowly sitting up. He had a light headache. “I’m not hungry…”

“Taehyun, eat,” Soobin said in a warning tone. Not wanting to fight his hyung, Taehyun picked up the bowl and began eating slowly. His stomach welcomed the food. Remembering the feeling of satisfying his hunger, Taehyun quickly ate the rest. Soobin sat back and smiled, taking his time with his bowl. “Good job.”

Taehyun looked up from his bowl, giving Soobin his first genuine smile in a while. Soobin got a good look at just how messed up Taehyun looked. His usually bright eyes were red from crying. His hair seemed dirty and uncombed. Soobin wanted to swaddle Taehyun and protect him from the world.

“I want you to rest a little then take a shower, alright?” Soobin said in a motherly voice.

“Yes, hyung,” Taehyun agreed, putting down the empty bowl. There was a short, comfortable silence before Taehyun spoke again, frowning. “I hope Kai is okay… I can’t imagine how upsetting this must be for him. He doesn’t want to be my soulmate!” Taehyun’s voice cracked.

“Hey, it will be okay,” Soobin held Taehyun’s shaky hands. “I promise you two will be okay. He needs to cool down, and then you can talk.”

After a little while, Taehyun showered and changed into pajamas. He and Soobin laid on the couch, dozing off together. Taehyun fit perfectly on top of Soobin’s larger frame. Soobin’s phone rang, K.K. House playing softly. He stretched his arm and picked up his phone, not bothering to check the ID. 

“Hello?” he said in a hushed tone. 

“Soobin-hyung, when are you coming home?” It was Beomgyu. 

“I think I’ll stay here with Taehyun as long as I can,” Soobin answered. “Kai isn’t home yet and I don’t want Taehyun to be more stressed.”

Beomgyu grumbled through the phone. “Okay. Don’t be out too late.”

“I won't,” Soobin said. “Hey, Gyu?”

“Hm?”

“What do you feel about, uh, us being soulmates?”

“‘Us’ as in me or you? Or ‘us’ as in all of us?” 

“Both, I guess.”

“It’s exciting,” Beomgyu answered after a brief pause. “Now I know I’m meant to be with my best friends for the rest of my life.”

“Yeah… That is nice.”

“Hyung, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go to sleep.”

“Go ahead. Goodnight, Gyu.”

“Goodnight, Soobin-hyung.” Beomgyu hung up.

Taehyun was knocked out on top of him, his wet hair dampening Soobin’s shirt. He didn’t mind, though. He took this time to think about the day he had. Soobin anticipated the multiple soulmates, but he was surprised that it was the five of them. 

Soobin’s phone rang again. He rolled his eyes with a silent groan and answered.

“Hello?”

“Soobin, how’s Taehyun?” It was Yeonjun this time.

“He’s okay. He’s sleeping… How are you?” Soobin rubbed Taehyun’s back when the sleeping boy stirred slightly. 

“I’m… Okay… Kai is with me,” Yeonjun said. “He fell asleep on my couch.”

“Guess they’re both tuckered out,” Soobin hummed. “How are you taking this situation, hyung?”

“I actually wanted to ask you.”

Soobin stopped to think. “I… kind of knew it, I just did not expect it to be us. I’m more worried about how the rest of you are feeling.”

“I’m fine,” Yeonjun lied. “I can bring Kai to his place soon, probably.”

“Don’t. Let him sleep.”

“Don’t you have work tomorrow? Shouldn't you be at your apartment?” Yeonjun questioned. Soobin had forgotten about work.

“I’ll figure it out, hyung.”

Yeonjun answered with a small “alright” and ended the call. Soobin put his phone back on the coffee table and started trying to wake Taehyun up. 

“Hyunnie,” he said softly, caressing his hair as he did earlier. He moved his hand to the boy’s upper back. “I need to go home, I have work tomorrow.”

Taehyun snaked his arms around the elder, holding him close. “Don’t go…”

“I need to, Hyun. I’m sorry,” Soobin apologized.

“Stay a lil’ longer…?”

“Just a little,” Soobin caved in, holding his soulmate closer. 

Kai came home at four in the morning. He woke up on Yeonjun’s couch, suddenly feeling like he absolutely needed to go home, so he did. He and Yeonjun caught a bus and Yeonjun walked Kai the rest of the way, making sure he was safe.

“I love you, hyung,” Kai hugged the elder before unlocking his door and walking in. 

“Love you, too, Kai.”

Kai saw Taehyun lying on the couch, snoring softly. He smiled a little. Taehyun looked so cute. Not wanting him to wake up with back pain, Kai scooped Taehyun in his arms and carried him to his bed, tucking him in. He could not stay mad. Shortly after, Kai got himself in a clean set of pajamas and went to sleep.

Kai woke up late again. He looked across the room to see Taehyun sitting in his bed, texting someone. Kai stretched, sitting up slowly. “Good morning, Taehyun.”

The older’s head whipped upwards to look at Kai. “G’morning, Kai… When did you get home?”

“Around 4… You were asleep on the couch, so I moved you.”

“Thank you.” The two were both consumed by the thick atmosphere. Both of them knew they had to talk about what had happened between them, but it was difficult for either of them to bring it up. 

“I’m sorry,” they said together, making eye contact. Taehyun’s mouth hung open for a second, unsure what to say next.

“I think I’m ready for us to talk, Tyun,” Kai’s voice was serious and calm. Taehyun would have been shaking if not for the nickname. “I’m ready to hear your side.”

Taehyun took a deep breath in, exhaling slowly. “Back on my birthday, when I got my mark, I was so confused and a little worried about what it meant. I promised you I’d show you my mark and it seemed so important to you… I didn’t want to back out like that. I understand if you don’t trust me anymore. I never told you the truth and you had to find out in such an unpleasant way. I’m sorry…”

Kai nodded, processing his friend’s words. He was not angry anymore, just simply hurt. “You know how badly I wanted us to be soulmates?”

Taehyun was slightly flustered. “Of course. Why?” 

“It wasn’t romantic or anything. I never liked you like that, but I love you so much, Taehyun,” Kai anxiously played with his small penguin plushie. “I wanted to confirm we would be together forever because I couldn't imagine life without you. Though on my sixteenth birthday I thought we weren’t soulmates, I still believe our friendship is forever. When I found out you lied, I was hurt. At first I thought ‘so we might be soulmates?’ but then I had the thought ‘I don’t want to be destined to be with a liar.’”

Kai’s words comforted and stung Taehyun, sending him a mixture of sweet messages and bitter conclusions. Taehyun avoided the other’s eyes, not wanting to see his pain. He knew how hard it was for Kai to talk about his feelings so he appreciated the openness. 

“Then Yeonjun showed his mark and we’re all soulmates, which is kind of wild… Is that why you were doing all that research on…?” 

“Yeah,” Taehyun breathed. “I really want to figure this all out.”

“That makes sense.” There was another pause. 

“Are you okay?” Taehyun asked suddenly. “Is being my soulmate okay?” He asked as if they could change fate. He had not noticed the tears starting to fall. Taehyun covered his face, wiping the tears away. “I'm just really sorry…” He heard sheets ruffling and felt his mattress dip slightly. He found himself surrounded by Kai, locked in his long arms. The embrace was warm and safe, making Taehyun realize what he was missing so badly.

“Of course it’s okay, Tyun, I forgive you,” Kai whispered. He rubbed circles in Taehyun’s back. They stayed in that position, hugging on Taehyun’s bed in silence. It had been much too long since the two hugged like this. It was warm and genuine, comforting in every way.

“Promise you won’t lie again?” Kai said when they separated. He held out his pinky.

“I promise,” Taehyun replied, linking his pinky to his soulmate’s.


	9. Conflicts & Rumors

The five had gone back to something close enough to normal. Taehyun and Kai were as close as ever once again. The five finally had time to process their marks. Taehyun mainly thought about what Kai said about wanting to be his soulmate. It was not romantic, but a confirmation that they would be together forever. That sounded right. Taehyun was able to bring this up to his other four soulmates. It was taken well, for the most part. 

Days passed as they had before. About once a week, all five were able to hangout together as a group. Yeonjun was satisfied with that. He felt like he was really warming up to the group, slowly opening up more to each of them and being able to act more genuine. He finally started to feel like he belonged with them, at least he thought he did.

The five were at a sushi restaurant. It was the usual banter, teasing and flirting with each other. They teased Beomgyu for not liking sushi, saying he could have stayed home. 

“It’s our day as a group! Choose sushi some other day without me if you’re just gonna bully me,” he huffed, shoving a piece of cooked meat in his mouth. 

Yeonjun grinned. He enjoyed every moment he was with them. 

“Ah, Soobin-hyung, I just remembered,” Kai started. “Can you reserve a book for me?”

“Wow! Hueningie is asking for a book!” Beomgyu exclaimed, receiving a glare from the youngest. “I didn’t know he read books!”

“Yeah he does,” Taehyun smirked. He struggled not to laugh when he continued his joke. “He likes… Books.” 

Taehyun, Beomgyu, and Soobin all started laughing. Kai gave Taehyun a light smack, cringing at the memory. Yeonjun sat back, confused. Not wanting to stand out, he forced out a chuckle, quickly putting a slice of sashimi in his mouth so he wouldn’t have to ‘laugh’ anymore.

He brushed it off. He was the last to join their friend group. He never spent as much time with the others as they did with each other. It was just one joke he didn’t get, right? Yeonjun was not missing too much, right?

They got ice cream after sushi. He was shocked to see Soobin ordering mint choco. 

“You’ve finally joined us,” Yeonjun joked, only getting weak laughs at his joke.

“I’ve been getting mint choco a lot more recently, hyung,” Soobin said kindly. “Kai and I had a lot of ice cream outings.”

“Oh,” Yeonjun slouched slightly, insecurity rising slowly. 

“Do you want us to invite you next time?” Kai asked like a little kid. If he wasn’t taller than Yeonjun, he would have looked like a baby. 

“No, it’s fine,” Yeonjun shrugged it off, trying to be cool. He tried to ignore the way Soobin and Taehyun looked at him. 

“I’ll text you next time, anyway,” Kai said. Once all five of them had their ice cream, they sat at the usual outside table. The bickering, teasing, and laughing continued as it did every meetup. Yeonjun, however, was consumed by a sense of insecurity. He thought he was getting close to the others, but it seemed like they did so much more without him while Yeonjun had to be… alone. 

Sure, he had his fans and he was able to communicate with them, but they did not know the real him. Apparently these four did not either. It was not anything against them, though. Maybe they did not want Yeonjun with them. Maybe Yeonjun was the problem.

“Isn’t that right, hyung?” Beomgyu lightly jabbed at Yeonjun’s side. 

The elder looked at Beomgyu dumbly. “Huh?”

“Soobin-hyung is living in a self insert fanfic!” Beomgyu said, but it was useless.

“Yeonjun-hyung doesn't know about that,” Taehyun pointed out, only making Yeonjun feel less comfortable. 

“Bebe Rexha noticed me on Twitter,” Soobin briefly explained, smiling. 

“Oh, congratu--”

“It was a few days ago,” Soobin interrupted. Soobin never told him about that but all the others seemed to know about it.

“Oh.” Yeonjun went back to his ice cream, refusing to feel the awkward shift in mood. 

“Wait, Beomgyu, you’re literally soulmates with your favorite YouTuber,” Soobin suddenly realized. “You’re living a fanfiction, GyulovesCYJ!”

Beomgyu coughed, choking slightly on vanilla ice cream. “We don’t speak of that! I changed my username weeks ago!”

Yeonjun zoned out for the rest of the conversation. He pulled himself together enough to say ‘goodbye’ to Taehyun and Kai when they left. He shut down Taehyun’s attempt to ask him about how he feels, telling the younger he was tired. Taehyun didn't buy it. He knows Taehyun didn’t buy it.

It was only Soobin, Beomgyu, and Yeonjun now. “Hyung, are you sure you’re okay?” Beomgyu questioned, his brows furrowing. “If you need to talk, I’m here for you.”

Yeonjun only nodded. “I’m just tired. I was working on something last night,” he lied. Beomgyu and Soobin shared a concerned look. “I think you should just head home now.”

“Alright,” Soobin sighed. He figured that the eldest would not put down his front just yet. They exchanged goodbyes and parted ways. Yeonjun could not hold back his tears when he got home.

The next day, Soobin managed to meet up with Yeonjun. Alone. It was a casual meet up. Soobin had almost begged the elder to talk to him one-on-one. Yeonjun knew why Soobin wanted to talk and he was not ready for it. 

Soobin told Yeonjun to meet him at work at the end of his shift. Soobin suggested some bubble tea and a walk around the park. When they arrived at the large grassy area, milk tea in hand, Soobin decided it was time to confront the elder on his behavior the day prior.

“You know, you can tell me when something is bothering you,” the younger of the two started. Soobin made eye contact with Yeonjun, who quickly turned away. “We’re soulmates, y’know, all of us are here for you.”

“Yeah…” Yeonjun sighed, taking a quick sip of his drink. He debated in his head whether or not to speak. He wanted to let Soobin, or anyone really, how he felt left out, but he didn’t want to interfere with their preexisting relationships.

What happened next was like a drama. Soobin stopped walking and grabbed Yeonjun’s free hand, turning the elder to look at him. Soobin pulled him back with a little too much force, so they were only inches apart. Slight panic washed over both of their faces, but Soobin collected himself quickly. 

“What’s bothering you, hyung?” he asked, making sure he was looking into Yeonjun’s eyes. And just like that, the words poured out of his mouth. Yeonjun hadn’t let himself be this vulnerable since the night he called Beomgyu. 

He explained how he felt out of place with the other four. Yeonjun said that he felt bad for wanting to be closer because he felt like he would be forcing himself into their dynamic. “And I know that I shouldn’t feel like this, but I can’t help it seeing how close you all are. I-I’m jealous… I never had a genuine group of people and even though we’re all supposed to be soulmates, it feels like you guys don’t see me.” 

Soobin had an empathetic pout on his face. He placed his empty hand on the other’s shoulder. He was happy the elder opened up, but suddenly felt bad about the way they made Yeonjun feel. “I’m sorry, hyung,” Soobin started. “We didn’t mean to leave you out.” He pulled the elder in for a hug, holding him tightly. Yeonjun hesitantly hugged back. 

Usually, Yeonjun would feel weak for showing such emotion, but in this moment he felt relieved. 

The two enjoyed the rest of the day in the park together. They spent the time talking and laughing. It was a nice outing for both of them. Yeonjun never really hung out with anyone one-on-one and Soobin usually preferred to stay indoors with his Nintendo Switch. They both needed this bonding and outside time. Later in the day, they ate dinner together then parted ways. 

Soobin arrived in his shared apartment with a satisfied grin on his face. He found Beomgyu on their bedroom floor, scrolling through Twitter as he usually is. “Did you have fun on your date?” the younger asked, sticking his tongue out. 

“My what?” Soobin stopped. “Hyung and I were just hanging out.”

Beomgyu rolled over and sat criss crossed on the floor. He invited Soobin to sit down next to him. The younger knew that the posts were taken out of context, but he felt obligated to let his hyungs know what people were Tweeting about them. He passed his phone to Soobin. The screen displayed a photo of him and Yeonjun at the park taken at a distance. It looked straight out of a romantic drama. The caption read: “@YeonjunChoi has a BOYFRIEND??$;&($” 

Beomgyu leaned over to scroll through the replies and to show Soobin more Tweets. These were ridiculous! One person who happened to be one of Yeonjun’s subscribers just had to be at the park at the same time. Soobin was speechless.

“Do you think Yeonjun knows?” Beomgyu asked.

“How could he not?” Soobin remarked. He pulled his phone out and began texting Yeonjun. 

‘Have you been on twitter?? Your fans are.. really something’

There was no response.

‘Hyung?’


End file.
